Norfolk celebrates midwinter

NORFOLK — With a foot or more of snow on the ground and below-zero wind chills outside, spring felt far off in the Northwest Corner on Saturday. Inside Norfolk Library, however, a small group gathered for a discussion and reflection on the ancient Celtic holiday of Imbolc — a celebration marking the gradual return of light and life at winter’s midpoint.

Norfolk Library staffers Eileen Fitzgibbons and Bina Thomson introduced the holiday during the program on Saturday, Jan. 31, inviting about 10 attendees to meditate on the quiet calm of winter and the imminent vitality of spring.

Now synonymous with the feast day of Ireland’s patroness saint, St. Brigid — a bank holiday in Ireland as of 2022 — Imbolc is one of the four traditional Gaelic festivals originating in pre-Christian Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Falling roughly halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, the ancient Celts viewed the beginning of February as the beginning of the end of winter.

“[Imbolc] reminds us that growth starts long before it is visible,” Fitzgibbons explained to the attentive group as a fire roared in the Library’s ample fireplace.

She said the Gaelic origin of the holiday’s name, Imbolc, means “in the belly,” referencing the beginning of the lambing season in Ireland. Despite the cold, she said, the Celts understood this time of year as a season of “renewal” and “life returning.”

As they listened, guests munched on a spread of sheep’s cheese, seed crackers, nuts, dried apricots and fig jam prepared by Fitzgibbons, and sipped wine, herbal tea and a hibiscus cider punch made by Thomson. Fitzgibbons said each libation and refreshment reflected symbolic food and drink associated with the tradition, which draws on both the ancient festival and its Christianized version, St. Brigid’s Day.

St. Brigid is thought by scholars to correlate with a pagan Irish deity of the same name, associated with metalwork, fire, fertility and midwifery — symbols that remained attached to the saint. Fitzgibbons said the image of both the goddess and saint reconciles the harshness of winter with the gentle promise of spring. “She’s quite a gal,” Fitzgibbons said, drawing laughs from the group.

Both Fitzgibbons and Thomson said they have observed the holiday in their own ways for some time, and that the gathering offered an opportunity to share what they had learned.

Thomson said the practice has helped her “learn how to winter properly.” At the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox, she said, it is a good moment to pause and reflect: “Ok, we’ve made it this far.”.

Norfolk resident Kristin Mudge, who was attending without prior knowledge of the holiday, said she appreciated the perspective. “I love the idea that something is sort of simmering below the surface, and there sure is a lot of surface out there right now,” she said, gesturing at the snowbanks towering outside the window.

After a brief candle-making workshop – candles are another symbol of the holiday – the group regathered to exchange poems. Fitzgibbons and Thomson explained that the holiday is one of introspection and reflection, and that things like exchanging poems, walks in the woods and quality time with friends and family are all suitable “celebrations.”

Thomson led the poetry circle with a composition of her own, a “poem/not-poem” called Imbolc Musings:

“We do not need to rush, we do not need to run. We just need to stop and take notice.”